Llorenç Gómez

Llorenç took up association football aged five and developed aspirations of becoming a professional player.[4] At age 13, he joined the youth academy of Gimnàstic de Tarragona.[4] Llorenç subsequently began suffering knee problems at the age of 16,[4] ultimately resulting in a diagnosis of osteoarthritis and the need for multiple operations.[5][6] He was advised to train on sand as part of his rehabilitation as the surface is low-impact on knees; this is where Llorenç first encountered beach soccer.[4][7] He developed a liking for the derivative and took it up as a hobby. Aged 19, he was told to abandon his desire of becoming a footballer because of his medical condition.[5]

Thus, Llorenç began to pursue beach soccer more seriously; he experienced a rapid rise through the ranks.[4] After joining his local club in Torredembarra, he was soon selected for the Catalonian regional team.[7][8] It was playing for the latter where Llorenç was spotted by coach Joaquín Alonso and called up to the Spanish national team.[5][7] He debuted at the second stage of the 2011 Euro Beach Soccer League,[9] and from there quickly established himself as part of the squad.[8][10] In 2013, he took the number 10 shirt from the recently retired Amarelle and helped Spain to a runners-up finish at the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup,[7] scoring his country's only goal in the final.[9] In 2014, he was nominated as one of the world's best three players of the year and was part of the team of the year at the Beach Soccer Stars awards ceremony;[11] FIFA.com too called Llorenç a "emerging star" of the sport.[12] He also won the award for best goal of the year.[11]

Llorenç playing for Spain, battling for the ball vs. Iran at the 2019 Intercontinental Cup

As well as continuing to represent Spain, in order to make a full living from the sport, he has also played for numerous club sides in leagues around the world as a sought after player.[5] Major clubs include Barcelona (Spain), Kristall (Russia), Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia), Flamengo (Brazil), KP Łódź (Poland), Falfala Kfar Qassem (Israel), Tokyo Verdy (Japan), Catania (Italy) and Artur Music (Ukraine).[13] He has tasted international success in the 2015 Mundialito de Clubes, 2015 Euro Winners Cup, 2017 Mundialito de Clubes and 2019 World Winners Cup with each of the first four clubs respectively.

He regularly wins top scorer and best player awards at the events in which he plays; he has accumulated over 40 individual awards in his career.[5][14]

In 2018, Llorenç was named as the best beach soccer player in the world at the Beach Soccer Stars awards, ahead of Brazilians, Bruno Xavier and Datiñha. The commendation was presented to him by his former teammate and idol, Amarelle. He collected the award on crutches, having fractured his metatarsal at the Intercontinental Cup.[5]

Llorenç's third appearance at the World Cup, in 2021, was marred by injury and a red card in Spain's second match versus Tahiti.[15] A month later, in a shock announcement on social media, he declared that he was retiring from beach soccer due to the "degenerative" nature of his injuries and the need to prioritise his quality of life.[16] Within a fortnight, he was named as the new head coach of the Catalonia regional team.[17]

Llorenç is known for his finishing ability, technical skills and natural ability at bicycle kicks.[5][18] He is a forward but is known to be versatile and so can play in any outfield position if required. Fellow Spanish teammate, Dona, says that Llorenç will shoot and score when least expected and will always perform when his team need him to the most.[5] He claims to have "learnt everything" about beach soccer from Amarelle.[7] He has also been compared to Ronaldinho.[5] Llorenç is left-footed.[19]

Llorenç was born in Sant Cugat del Vallès[18] but has lived in Torredembarra since he was seven years old.[12] He has three sisters, and as of 2019, a total of seven nephews and nieces.[18] Ronaldinho was his childhood idol.[5] He can speak five languages[18] and can play the guitar.[20] He is well known for his exuberance and positive, philosophical outlook towards life.[4][18]

He studied to be a "Senior Sports Physical Activities Technician" and holds a UEFA A Licence.[18] In addition, Llorenç owns his own sports brand, "Enzo10", and is signed with adidas.[14]

Llorenç supports RCD Espanyol and received a special reception from club in 2013 after Spain's second-place finish at the World Cup.[2][19]

Country

Team	Year	Euro League		World Cup		WC qual.		Other[lower-alpha 1]		Total			Ref.
		Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Spain
	2011	3	1	—		—		—		3	1
	2012	9	10	—		—		3	4	12	14
	2013	9	15	5	4	—		11	14	25	33
	2014	9	27	—		7	7	4	8	20	42
	2015	7	11	3	2	—		5	6	15	19
	2016	3	3	—		8	10	5	3	16	16
	2017	10	11	—		—		3	4	13	15
	2018	10	15	—		—		12	18	22	33
	2019	7	2	—		6	5	19	18	32	25
	2020	No matches due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
	2021	3	4	3	1	4	4	—		10	9
Total		70	99	11	7	25	26	62	75	168	207	—

Club

Tournament	Year	Club	Apps	Goals	Ref.
Euro Winners Cup
	2013	Terracina	6	11
	2014		4	11
	2015	Kristall	7	10
	2017	Dinamo Batumi	7	7
	2018	Falfala Kfar Qassem	6	16
	2019	Lokomotiv Moscow	7	7
	2020	Artur Music	7	22
	2021	San Francisco	6	7
Total			50	91	—

The following is a selection, not an exhaustive list, of the major honours Llorenç has achieved:[13]

• Official website
• Llorenç Gomez, profile at Beach Soccer Worldwide
• Llorenc Gomez, profile at Beach Soccer Russia (in Russian)